The Whitehorse Foundation is a leading advocate and funder of organizations that work to improve the quality of life for children, youth, and families in Snohomish County. The Liberty Mutual Foundation works to support local communities by investing in the expertise and leadership of local non-profits to improve the lives of vulnerable populations and empower individuals and families.

Now in its sixth year, Whole Families, Whole Communities continues to be a critical lifeline for families in need in the Edmonds School District. Funding from the grants will allow the Foundation to continue and increase support for students and their families. The program works to provide food, emergency funding, career counselling, and many other services to families experiencing homelessness, financial instability, and persistent poverty through a collaboration of community partners.

The Foundation will also continue to provide important services such as free Nourishing Network weekend and summer meals alongside career classes and coaching for families. “Families are seeing a big impact not only from the effects of the pandemic, but also from rising inflation” says Deborah Brandi, Foundation Executive Director. “We are incredibly thankful for the Whitehorse Foundation and the Liberty Mutual Foundation; these grants will go a long way in helping our families.”

The Edmonds School District is Snohomish County’s largest public school district, serving more than 20,000 students across 35 campuses. Boundaries span five communities including Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Brier, and part of Bothell.

For 38 years, the Foundation for Edmonds School District has worked in partnership with the District to ensure that every student has the resources to learn, thrive and contribute to our vibrant community. With an all-volunteer board and active community participants, the Foundation provides supplemental funding to support students, families, and educators in the pursuit of educational excellence. www.foundationesd.org

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Funds from the first grant, a $75,000 award funded over three years, is set to expand the Foundation’s annual summer camp program, ensuring any child from 5 – 18 can receive food and enriching activities over the summer months. The Foundation will continue to serve nutritious meals alongside fun, healthy, and educational activities, and plans to partner with the YMCA and the Boys and Girls Club to provide field trips and greater access to much needed resources.

The second grant, a $22,000 COVID-19 rolling award, will be used to better serve low-income families who continue to be negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation will expand Nourishing Network pop-up pantries to provide resources to more families, particularly with the cultural diversity of the district in mind. A greater, and more diverse, selection of food will be available at pop-up pantries to ensure every family is served with the healthy food they need.

“The pandemic is still hitting low-income families in our community very hard, and our Nourishing Network program is still seeing very high demand,” says Deborah Brandi, Executive Director. “We’re working hard to help reduce hunger in our community and provide the health and wellness resources our families need. We’re very thankful to Verdant for helping make this possible.”

The Edmonds School District is Snohomish County’s largest public school district, serving more than 21,000 students across 35 campuses. Boundaries span five communities including Lynnwood, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Brier and part of Bothell.

For 38 years, the Foundation for Edmonds School District has worked in partnership with the Edmonds School District to ensure that every student has the resources to learn, thrive and contribute to our vibrant community. With an all-volunteer board and active community participants, the Foundation provides supplemental funding to support students, families, and educators in the pursuit of educational excellence. www.foundationesd.org

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The Foundation will use the van to support the Work Experiences and Assessment program in the Edmonds School District. The Work Experiences program provides vocational assessment and work experience opportunities for students enrolled in the Lifeskills Program. The LifeSkills Program serves high school students who have mild to moderate disabilities and students from the Deaf and Hard of Hearing program.

The Foundation expects to see more than 200 students served every year over thousands of trips and will allow students to participate in community outreach, work experience opportunities, and learn invaluable skills to aid them in everyday life. Overall, the van will provide more equitable opportunities for disabled, deaf, and hard of hearing students within the district.

“We are very thankful to Community Transit for this opportunity to support the Edmonds School District LifeSkills students,” says Deborah Brandi, Foundation for Edmonds School District Executive Director. “The van will provide students with the means to access vital programs and resources.”

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The Foundation for Edmonds School District will use the funds to benefit educators and their schools throughout the Edmonds School District through their Classroom and Schoolwide Grants Program. The program provides district staff with supplemental funding for dozens of innovative projects that enrich all subject areas, at every grade level, helping provide equal access to enriching educational experiences for every student.

“Gesa recognizes and appreciates our local heroes who serve our communities across Washington state,” said Richard Waddle, Executive Vice President of Gesa Credit Union. “We’re thrilled to honor the invaluable work that the Foundation for Edmonds School District has done, and we thank them for their selfless efforts in serving our community.”

Gesa Credit Union’s Local Heroes Grant Program provides grants to organizations that support local heroes including firefighters, law enforcement, teachers, and veterans in the state of Washington. “Our classroom grant program helps ensure that all children in our district have access to experiential and transformative learning experiences,” says Deborah Brandi, Foundation for Edmonds School District Executive Director. “We are honored and thankful to receive this award from Gesa Credit Union and for their partnership in supporting our teachers and educators.”

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